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The opportunity for tactical and operational mission command presents itself when your higher headquarters’ plan succeeds or fails. There is no room for Mission Command during a Combined Arms Breach, Wet Gap crossing, Deliberate Attack or Air Assault without a discussion. Leaders must request approval during these operations to avoid de-synchronizing the entire unit. In other words, you don’t have the authority to deviate from the plan at all times. During failure and success a subordinate commander may seize ground, destroy additional enemy, or take immediate action to enable the next transition within the higher commander’s intent. Our war fighting function synchronization demands disciplined execution for the team to succeed. Examples of some mental triggers when the mission command GREEN LIGHTis turned-on include:

When the Infantry are committed to the Objective (Transition for the next fight)

When the enemy commits its reserve (Protect the Force)

The next piece of terrain provides a position of relative advantage (Own the passes)

Enemy Artillery/HPTL are in direct fire range (Easiest way to destroy an ADA or FA system is with a Tank)

ADP 6-0 tells us that Mission command is the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations. Know when to sustain or create options for the commander by exercising disciplined initiative within your authority.

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When presented with a problem set leaders either know the way ahead immediately or need input from others to inform their decision. When seeking input there are two common phases that leaders and others must understand. Phase 1- Input and disagreement are not disrespect. Phase 2 – The decision is made and the organization must get behind the leader. All must work together to accomplish the desired end state for their common success. During Phase 1 both the Leader and the led should be free to disagree, provide opinion, and red team the concept to ensure all effects are known and an informed decision can be made. Leaders must not take the comments from their subordinates personally nor be wed to a particular idea. The led must voice their contributions in a manner that is not disrespectful. When both parties follow these guidelines the process works. Once the decision is made and we move into Phase 2 the leader must be cognizant that conditions or “the truth” may change and develop decision points if required to alter the way ahead. The organization must cease resistance to the decision and understand that they are now equally responsible for the success of the Leader’s selected course of action. The key is for the Leader to clearly articulate which phase the organization is in so all members can make the transition simultaneously.

As a Leader if you follow this model you will enable success and maintain a better work environment.

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This guest post is by Barrett Thomas who is currently serving as an exchange officer at the School of Infantry in Australia.

No matter your station in life; Lieutenant, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, or manager, we all have a boss. How we interact with the organization’s leader, or our superior, directly affects decision-making for the organization and is related also to our individual and sub-unit success. These engagements matter and whether they occur daily, weekly, or less, you must make them count.

An excellent way to shape these engagement is to “bin” them. There are really only three reasons you need to engage your boss. When you require a DECISION, need to INFORM him/her, or need GUIDANCE. That’s it!

Maintain a running sheet where you can update those items you need to take to your boss within those three bins. When you engage the boss, begin with what is required at that point in time (a DECISION, no action (INFORM) or GUIDANCE) so that they are prepared for what actions they need to take. The simple acronym for this is DIG. Don’t make your superior “DIG” for what they need to provide, assimilate your requirements in this manner succinctly.

DECISION, INFORM, GUIDANCE. Using these three bins for your interactions with superiors will ensure that each engagement with your boss is productive and that you are positioned to best lead your organization.

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MAJ Russell B. Thomas is an Infantry Officer currently serving as an exchange officer at the School of Infantry in Australia. His operational experience includes time in Stryker, Armored, and Airborne Infantry units. He is a 2003 Graduate of the United States Military Academy.

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Beyond Glory is compelling, educational, historically accurate, and funny. Stephen Lang weaves a mosaic of eight American heroes through exceptional first person acting. Lang’s portrayal of these incredibly brave fighting men introduces the audience to the men, the realities of war, and our national politics of the day. To better understand combat and how the hardships of war effect our men and women watch Beyond Glory! Search for it on your cable provider- Enjoy.

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David Dunphy and Graybeard Publishing hit a home run with, “The Iron Major Survival Guide”. Dunphy’s candid advice is refreshingly articulate and raw simultaneously. This book is a great reminder for those beyond the Major years and a lesson in reality for all rising field grades. Highly recommend this book for those planning their next three years after CGSC or for senior commanders looking for skills to develop in subordinates. Well Done Sir- Well done !

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Welcome to the 19th post in the ProDev2Go Major Series. This series focuses on the transition from Company Grade to Field Grade Officer.

Non-Commissioned Officers serving on staff are often under utilized and their role is commonly ill-defined or misunderstood. Your entire career NCOs have made you a better leader, Soldier, and Officer. Why stop this relationship as a Operations Officer (S-3) or Executive Officer (XO) in a battalion or brigade? These three tips will enable you and your NCOs to maximize the power of your organization:

Establish a staff training program for your NCOs – Do not expect the high speed squad leader to automatically know how to perform as the schools NCO, battle NCO, or tasking manager. You need to train and certify this leader. He or she possesses the leadership skills required for the job, but the task is new and briefing skills must be developed. You must develop a training program or the results are predictable.

The Operations Sergeant Major leads the staff NCOICs to solve unit problems. The SGM needs 100% support from you to ensure there is zero friction with the staff primaries. Enable the OPS SGM by making it clear that she has tasking authority over other staff NCOICs. If there is a conflict, the NCOs will ensure all tasks are accomplished- It’s what they do !

Ensure your NCOs are held accountable and are given the authority that comes with their position. Nothing worse than a NCO that has become an expert on a topic after weeks of analyzing the issues and developing solutions being pushed aside when it’s time to brief the commander. If you have a good training program your NCOs will clearly communicate and allow your officers to share the workload rather than taking it over.

To maximize the power of your organization as a field grade officer, hold all members of the staff accountable, establish a training program, and enable the OPS SGM. If you can do these things – You will be an effective field grade officer and help develop our future Command Sergeants Major.

Remember to click the Blue Box to Follow ProDev2Go and receive these posts directly in your email. If interested in doing a guest post contact us at prodev2go@gmail.com

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Welcome to the 18th post in the ProDev2Go Major Series. This series focuses on the transition from Company Grade to Field Grade Officer.

The best commanders share command with others and the best Majors share their authority with their subordinates. You cannot do everything yourself, but sharing your authority is much more than delegating. Sharing authority allows your direct reports to make decisions, apply resources, and maximize opportunities. As a Field Grade this will triple the capacity of your organization. To get started do these three things: Clearly articulate the authorities for your subordinates, ensure FFIR and PIR are understood, and reward those that execute within your parameters. This will be a learning process for you and your subordinates so maintain an open dialogue to avoid frustration. If you share your authority you and your team will be more effective. Use the following questions to help the team stay on track:

Questions to Ask your Team

How can I enable you and make your job easier?

What information am I not providing you?

How do you best receive information?

What decisions can be made at your level that I currently withhold?

What is the biggest obstacle in your day to day operations?

Remember to click the Blue Box to Follow ProDev2Go and receive these posts directly in your email. If interested in doing a guest post contact us at prodev2go@gmail.com

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Welcome to the 17th post in the ProDev2Go Major Series. This series focuses on the transition from Company Grade to Field Grade Officer.

You Must Learn to Fight

There is much discussion about having a broad range of assignments to develop you into a better leader. While this is important, we cannot ignore the fundamentals of our profession. As a field grade officer you are expected to be an expert in maneuver regardless of branch. You know your weaknesses, write them down and seek help until you are in fact an expert. Start by focusing on the tactical and technical aspects of each Warfighting Function. Work with others to improve your skills using VBS3 or a terrain model with micro armor. Leverage your staff and those above you to find subject matter experts. Good leaders understand their weaknesses. Great leaders understand and correct their shortcomings. Broadening is important, but not at the expense of our priority mission, to fight and win our nation’s wars. Our service members deserve a field grade officer that understands the art and science of warfare. Make sure that you are that MAJ and we will collectively be successful.

Remember to click the Blue Box to Follow ProDev2Go and receive these posts directly in your email. If interested in doing a guest post contact us at prodev2go@gmail.com

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Welcome to the sixteenth post in the ProDev2Go Major Series. This series focuses on the transition from Company Grade to Field Grade Officer.

Here is a secret that nobody tells you when you make Major- You’re now a Scientist.

The Commander leads the operation process, (Plan, Prepare, Execute– Through Visualization, Description, and Direction) but you as a field grade must provide the tools and data necessary for the commander to make decisions. While all of our Warfighting Functions (WfF) are important, we encourage you to start with these four WfFs to enable the Art of Command through battlefield science: Intelligence, Fires , Mission Command, and Sustainment. The science of intelligence is critical to collection, understanding, and decision making. Inspect or verify all INTEL efforts to ensure your PIRs will be answered. Don’t sleep until you are sure. Next, dig into the science of fires. Observers, airspace, gun target lines, 1/3 –2/3, radars, ground clearance, digital networks, and ammunition management. You must ensure these are straight for both artillery (Lightning) and mortars (Thunder). Use Tactical and technical rehearsals to prove common understanding. Inspect your mission command network after fires. Ensure upper and lower TI networks are stable and verify a PACE plan for all systems. You must ensure a trusted human visits each RETRANS location to ensure success. Finally, focus on the science of sustainment. When will you need ammunition, medical care, fuel, and maintenance? Focus on the timing of sustainment during the battle and during the unit’s transitions to ensure success.

If you as a Major can focus on the science of Intelligence, Fires , Mission Command, and Sustainment you and your unit will be successful. Success in these areas will enable movement and maneuver, protection and engagement– We guarantee it !